We’re committed to promoting an environment and culture where sexual harassment or violence is never tolerated. That’s why we’re sharing our Never OK campaign, to make sure every student understands consent, has the confidence to be an active bystander and knows how to report any incidents.
Understanding Consent
Sexual harassment is any kind of unwanted sexual behaviour that makes you feel upset, scared, offended or humiliated, or is meant to make you feel that way. All instances of sexual harassment are unacceptable, regardless of whether they take place in-person or online, or were intended or not.
Examples of sexual harassment are, but are not limited to:
- Catcalling or wolf-whistling
- Leering, staring or suggestive looks
- Sexual ‘jokes’ or banter
- Unwanted sexual advances or flirting
- Sending sexts or nude pictures which you did not consent to
Our University has a zero-tolerance stance on sexual harassment and violence and we take all reports of sexual harassment seriously. Our Student Charter sets out the standards of what we can expect from each other as partners in a learning community.
We encourage all members of our university to complete our online consent module to understand what consent is and why it matters.
Complete the ‘Understanding Consent’ module here.
Ways to call out unacceptable behaviour
Being an active bystander means spotting when someone’s behaviour is inappropriate or threatening and choosing to challenge it or assist someone who needs support. Research shows that bystander intervention can be an effective way of stopping sexual assault before it happens.
Ways you can intervene:
- Direct – let them know their behaviour isn’t ok and tell them to stop (if you feel safe to do so)
- Delegate – bring in someone else to help you; this could be a friend, venue staff, or the Police
- Disrupt – do something to break the situation up, such as starting a conversation or asking a question
- Delay – if you can’t intervene, check in with the person afterwards and see if they need support
- Document – note down times, dates and locations of incidents
By challenging this behaviour and calling it out, we can all play a part in taking a stand against sexual harassment.
Ways to report an incident and access support:
- Directly to the Police – call 999 if it is an emergency or you are in danger. Otherwise, call 101 at any other time, visit your local police station or report the incident online.
- Our Report + Support website – report an incident online to the University (you can choose to report anonymously if you wish). You can also find out about some of the support available too.
You can find out more about our Never OK campaign — including what we’ve done so far and additional support and resources — on our Student Support page.